Knitting mechanism for producing pile fabric

ABSTRACT

Pile material is interlaced into a basic mesh backing, particularly on a circular knitting machine having means for controlling the retraction and extension of linearly reciprocable sinkers including a pair of cam following ears on each cooperating sinker. One sinker ear can control retraction of the sinker, and the other ear controls sinker extension. The sinker includes a pile loop-engaging hook above and outward from the sinker throat, the degree of sinker retraction determining the depth of the pile loop. The sinker-retracting cam ring is segmented to permit repositioning to change the pile depth by turning a pile depth-setting knob, and such cam ring operates a pivotable cam lever extending between the cam ring and the sinker retraction ear. The lever opposite ends comprise a follower and a camming surface respectively.

United States Patent 91 Meyerhuher et al.

KNITTING MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING PILE FABRIC Schubert & Salzer Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft, Ingolstadt, Germany Filed: Aug. 28, 1972 Appl. No.: 284,067

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 28, 1971 Germany 2143257 in. (31.11751? 1561b 13766,"!3045 27/04,'15'i)45 Field BYSeaI-ch 6 6/93, 90, 91, 9 2 95,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS lO/193l Bock et al 66/109 5/1937 Nebel 166/93 9/1959 Robertson 66/110 8/1973 Apprul 66/106 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 10/1938 Great Britain 66/91 Sept. 24, 1974 227,864 6/1909 Germany 66/110 2,047,401 3/1972 Germany 66/106 Primary Examiner-W. C. Reynolds Assistant Examiner-A. M. Falik Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert W. Beach; Ms. R. M. Van Winkle [5 7] ABSTRACT Pile material is interlaced into a basic mesh backing,

particularly on a circular knitting machine having means for controlling the retraction and extension of linearly reciprocable sinkers including a pair of cam following ears on each cooperating sinker. One sinker ear can control retraction of the sinker, and the other ear controls sinker extension. The sinker includes a pile loop-engaging hook above and outward from the sinker throat, the degree of sinker retraction determining the depth of the pile loop. The sinkerretracting cam ring is segmented to permit repositioning to change the pile depth by turning a pile depthsetting knob, and such cam ring operates a pivotable cam lever extending between the cam ring and the sinker retraction ear. The lever opposite ends comprise a follower and a camming surface respectively.

8 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDSEPZMSH SHEU 3 0F 8 PATENTEB 59241974 3.837. 184

sum 5 or a FIG.6 47

KNITTING MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING PILE v FABRIC This invention relates to mechanism, particularly for circular knitting machines, for production of mesh fabric having pile material interlaced into the backing fabric, the pile depth being easily regulated.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,197,963 discloses knitting mechanism including a plate or sinker having a cam-following ear which sinker moves between the needles in a direction transversely of the direction of needle reciprocation. The cam-following ear is guided by cam rings, both during the casting-off and loop-locking steps, as well as during the loop-sinking operation. DT-OS 2,047,401 discloses an integral lever and sinker swingable about a pivot in response to a sinker-retracting cam engageable with the lever at one side of the pivot and a sinker-extending cam engageable with the lever at the opposite side of the pivot. However, only a low pile can be produced by the mechanism of either of these publications because the angle of inclination of the cam ring curves cannot exceed a particular value for a fixed knitting speed and, also, for preventing automatic locking between the cam ring curves and the sinkers.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine which is capable of knitting mesh fabric into which is interlaced deep pile loops.

Another important object is to provide such mechanism by which the depth of the pile loop can be quickly and easily varied.

These objects can be accomplished by providing a pair of cam rings, one of which is operable to extend the sinker plate and the other is operable to retract such sinker plate. The sinker is reciprocable in a direction transversely of the direction of needle reciprocation. The sinker plate carries a pair of ears, one of which is engageable in one cam ring and the other of which is operable by the other cam ring by means of an intermediate pivotable ear-engaging lever. While the pile loop-sinking operation has to be carried out very quickly which is obtained from the cam ring by means of such intermediate pivotable ear-engaging lever and while, especially in the case of stiff pile material, this pile loop-sinking operation must be carried out within a single needle division (space), it suffices during the slow casting-off and loop-locking procedures, if the conventional sinker-retracting ear would be engaged directly with its actuating cam ring. The sinkerretracting cam rings controlling the sinker plate ears are preferably adjustable to vary the extent of retraction by moving cam ring segments parallel to the direction of sinker movement.

In order to provide a more compact knitting machine and improve accessibility to machine parts for inspection and maintenance, it is preferred that the sinker plate retraction mechanism be located within the machine below the level at which a loop is cast off from the sinker nib. Such an arrangement also permits use of guide or hearing plates located at opposite sides of the reciprocating needles and the sinker-retraction levers, which plates can have sufficient width to span at least the entire chordal length of the retraction lever swinging arc.

The reciprocable sinker plate has parallel upper and lower edges over a substantial portion of its length,

while the lower edge is extended to form a particularly elongated tongue extending between the sinker throat and the nib for more positive guiding of the sinker plate through the needle cylinder. An upper plate finger extends forward beyond the throat and terminates in a hook bent upward and backward opening toward the front of the needle. Such a construction on the one hand, as mentioned, provides desirable positive guidance of the sinker through the needle cylinder; and, on the other hand, the upward extending hook permits a pile loop interlaced with the previously sunk base mesh loop to swing outward and upward while being shielded by the hook from interference with the needle and from formation of the next loop row.

The cam rings for operating the sinker plate are most advantageously arranged if the sinker plate has one cam-actuated ear projecting upward from the upper edge of the sinker plate and the other cam-actuated ear projecting downward from the lower plate edge. To minimize the thickness of the sinker ears and the cooperating swinging armswhile maintaining engagement of each ear and its arm through a substantial extent of the arcuate travel of the arm, a lateral bearing plate is located adjacent to the cooperating ear to prevent side bending. Alternatively, the ear may be thicker than the body of the sinker plate by providing a complementally shaped plate and ear which can be integral with or fastened to one side of the correspondingly shaped sinker plate portion. It is preferred that the sinker-retracting lever have its pivot axis spaced from its end, so that an arm end on one side of the pivot engages an ear of the sinker plate and the opposite lever arm end is engageable with a cam surface operable to effect swinging of the lever.

While the invention disclosed herein can be applied to either flat or circular knitting machines, it is illustrated in connection with a circular knitting. For simplicity, only the machine parts necessary to illustrate the operation of the invention are shown.

FIG. 1 is a radial section through a portion ofa circular knitting machine including the present invention, parts being shown in elevation.

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a portion of a circular knitting machine showing a modified construction of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top' plan of a sinker-retracting cam seg-,

ment and adjusting mechanism therefor.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a developed view of three cam rings superposed to show corresponding spinning positions.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line VIVI of FIG. 2. a

FIG. 7 to 11 are radial sections through a portion of a circular knitting machine with parts in their relative positions corresponding to positions I to V, respectively, of FIG. 5.

The invention is shown and described in connection with a circular knitting machine, in which the needles 11 are carried by a needle cylinder 1 between partitions 10 for vertical reciprocation. A stationary cam ring carrier 2 closes the outer edges of the needle slots formed by partitions 10 and carries the upper ring 20 and the lower ring 21, which together form opposite sides of the stationary cam groove for receiving and guiding the butts 12 of needles 11 to reciprocate the needles as cylinder 1, partitions l0 and needles l1 rotate relative to the cam ring 20, 21. Sinker plates 30, radially reciprocable in a direction transversely of the direction of needle reciprocation, are mounted in a plate bed 3 and have their ends extending between adjacent'pair's of needles 11. 7

Plate bed 3 is supported by, and therefore rotatable with, the needle cylinder. Side partitions 3' prevent lateral displacement of sinker plates 30, and such sinker plates are held in position in the plate bed 3 by a cover 32 mounted in an appropriate manner (not shown) on a stationary mount 6. The sinker plates 30 are also guided in radial grooves milled on the upper face of the needle cylinder.

Behind the needles 11, i.e., on the side opposite of the needle hooks, is provided a thread carrier 71 (FIG. 7) for delivering pile material 7 to the sinker plates 30. In front of the needles 11, i.e., on the side of the needle hooks, is provided another thread carrier 72 for delivering the base thread 73 (FIG. 9) for the mesh base to the needles 11.

Plates 30 are similar in profile to the sinkers of straight bar knitting machines. These sinker plates 30 are of elongated shape and have upper and lower paral lel edges 90 and 91, respectively. The lower edge 91 includes an extension or tongue 34 having a curved upper edge forming a loop cast-off edge 35 for casting off the loop of the mesh base for the pile fabric. The upper sinker plate edge 90 terminates in a finger having a hook 33 opening in the direction of the hook of needle 11 for catching the pile material 7 which may be pile thread, or even fibers. A throat 36 formed between the upper finger and lower cast-off surface 35 of tongue 34 forms a holddown for the mesh base portion 70, through a loop of which needle 11 passes as it is raised to receive an additional bight of thread for the next loop. On the end portion of the sinker plate 30 opposite tongue 34, ears 31 and 37 project from opposite edges 90 and 91, respectively. Ear 37 is engaged by an arm 40 for retracting sinker plate 30 for theloop-sinking operation, and car 31 is retained in a cam groove by the cam ring sections 60 and 61, carried by a stationary mount 6 for extending the sinker plate into its original position shown in FIG. 1.

In prior machines for producing pile fabric, sinker plates have been directly driven in both directions by cam elements but such machines could be used only to produce low pile fabric, because the pile loops must be sunk within a single needle division (spacing) and because the sinker-retracting cam curve could not have slopes steep enough to retract the sinker plate a substantial distance within such a short period. These problems have been overcome by the present invention by providing a pivotable lever 40 engaging the cam edge of retracting cam 4 and the retracting ear 37 of the sinker plate 30. Such lever can swing quickly through a substantial arc to provide positive retracting control over a substantial distance in a short period of time. The pivot 41 for lever 40 is carried by a mount rotatable with the needle cylinder 1 and plate bed 3. Partitions or side bearing plates 50 projecting from mount 5 separate adjacent levers 40 while preventing lateral bending of the levers. Such partitions also carry pivot 41.

Lever pivot 41 is spaced from the ends of its lever 40 to form a pair of lever arms on opposite sides of the pivot. One lever arm end 42 engages sinker plate ear 37 and has a curved ear-engaging edge to roll relative to the car as the arm swings about its pivot to reduce pitting or wearing of the engaged surfaces of the arm and ear. The second lever arm on the opposite side of pivot 41 is much shorter than the ear-engaging arm in order to maximize sinker plate translation for a relatively small inclination of the edge surface of cam 4 engageable by the end 52 of the second lever arm. The end 52 of lever 40 engageable with the surface of cam 4 is located on the same side of a lever pivot diametral line 51 extending lengthwise of the lever as arm 42. Lever 40 is held in engagement with its pivot 41 by a guide member 45. Cam 4 is carried by a stationary mount 46. After sinker plate 30 has been retracted by lever 40, such plate again will be extended by the cam groove receiving sinker plate ear 31, such groove being defined between the adjacent edges of cam rings 60 and 61, mounted on the stationary cam ring carrier 6.

The operation of the knitting machine will be best understood by reference to FIGS. 5 and 7 through 11. FIG. 5 shows in developed view the cooperating parts of the sinker plate extension cam rings 60, 61 viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, the sinker plate retraction cam 4 viewed in the direction of arrow B, and the needle butt cam 20, 21 viewed in the direction of arrow C. The direction of rotation of the camengaging elements is in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 5, and the vertical lines in FIG. 5 extending through the developed cams represent the respective positions of cam-engaging elements at a particular instant during rotation of the needle cylinder. Two complete cycles of needle and sinker plate reciprocation are represented in FIG. 5 with needle butts 12 being shown in the groove in cam ring 20, 21, and sinker plate cars 31 shown in the groove of sinker piate extension cam rings 60, 61. Cam ring segments 4 have upper face portions engageable with arm end 52 of the sinker plate retraction lever 40.

In position I of FIG. 5 which position is also shown in FIG. 7, needle 11 is in its lowest position and beginning its upward movement. Arm end 52 of lever 40 is engaged with a flat portion 'of cam 4, with the sinker plate in its extended position, so that extension ear 31 is in its position closest to needles 11. It will be seen that, in the region between positions I and II, the groove between cam rings 60, 61 is wide to permit considerable latitude of movement of car 31, the path of such ear being indicated in dot-dash lines at the right of FIG. 5. Such path of movement of ear 31 is effected by operation of sinker plate retractinglever 40 guided by cam segment 4. At position II, the needle is closely approaching its maximum raisedposition to receive a bight of yarn for the next loop of the mesh base, and the sinker has been extended gradually to a considerable extent. In this position, the hook 33 is in the maximum extended position for receiving the pile material. In Position II, which position is also shown in FIG. 8, the hook 33 retaining the pile material islocated directly behind the needle back, as represented by the position of the parts in FIG. 1.

Between positions II and III, the needle dwells momentarily in its raised position, while the sinker plate is moved rapidly through a substantial distance to effect loop-sinking. Thus, the pile loop-sinking movement proper takes place substantially within a single needle division (spacing). In position III, which position is also shown in FIG. 9, the needles have reached their uppermost position and receive the base thread 73 from thread carrier 72. Between positions III and IV, the

sinker is held in its maximum retracted position, with the casting-off surface 35 of tongue 34 held in such position until the needle top is drawn below the sinker. As the needle continues downward, the sinker is extended with the rates of sinker movement and needle withdrawal synchronized to exert a constant pull on pile material 7. Just preceding position IV, which is shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, cam segment 4 terminates abruptly, so that lever 40 is permitted to swing freely about its pivot 41, so that the groove between cam rings 60, 61 now positively controls ear 31 to extend the sinker plate as the needle continues its downward movement with increasing speed. Spacer segments 44 may be provided in the sections between the separate cam segments 4. At position V, which position is also shown in FIG. 11, the needle has reached its bottom position, and dwells in that position while the sinker plate continues its extension to release the pile fabric to rotate upward over the top of hook 33. The sinker plate reaches its maximum extended position just before position I is reached again and pile material 7 is again supplied by a thread carrier 71 to the sinker plate hook at this time.

Without departing from the invention, knitting machines may have various constructions, one example being shown in FIG. 2. In order to facilitate inspection and maintenance of the mesh-forming elements of the machine, it is preferred that the sinker plate retraction lever 40 and its cam 4 be located at a level below the castoff plane E being determined by the sinker plate tongue 34 providing castoff surface 35. In this instance, cam 4 is carried by a stationary mount 62, which mount can also carry the guide element 45, which element retains lever 40 in position on its pivot 41 and prevents the sinker arm of lever 40, providing ear-engaging surface 42, flopping over center when its cam-engaging arm surface 52 passes beyond the end of the cam segment 4.

In this instance, partitions l3 projecting outwardly from the needle cylinders for separating adjacent needles can also carry pivots 41 for levers 40. Each partition has a further outward extension 18 for separating and providing lateral guideways for adjacent levers 40, such extension having a radial length greater than the swinging arc of lever 40. As shown best in FIG. 6, the main portions of partitions 13 form lateral guide plates for needles 11, while the partition extensions 18 have opposite sides 47 and 48 forming guideways between them for the levers 40. For this purpose, the sides47 and 48 of two adjacent partitions 13 lying closer to one another extend parallel to one another. The chordal length of the arc through which levers 40 swing is indicated by the distance S in FIG. 6, the two limit positions of the arms being shown in solid lines toward the right (according to the position shown in FIG. 2) and in broken lines 40 toward the left of that figure.

Partition members 13, 18 bridge between the needle cylinder 1 and sinker plate bed 38, so that such plate bed is carried by the partitions; and the cylinder rotates the partitions, plate bed 38, and sinker plates 30 conjointly.

In order to enable the manufacture of mesh fabric having pile material interlaced with different selected pile depths, mechanism is shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 for adjusting cam segments 4 radially to vary the pile depth. Each cam segment 4 is rigidly connected to a slide 43 slidable radially of the needle cylinder relative to the stationary mounting plate 62. The slide end remote from cam segments 4 carries a threaded rod 49. On rod 49 is mounted a dial 9 rotatable in a slot 68 in the mount 62. A hub 9" on dial 9 connects a knurled knob 9' to the dial, and rotation of such knob will effect axial movement of slide 43 and its cam segment 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, a leaf spring 94 has a crimped margin engageable in notches 93 of the dial 9 to lock the dial in a selected rotated position. A pointer 92 fastened to the stationary frame member 63 cooperates with indicia on hub 9" or dial 9 to select the pile depth.

The various parts of the knitting machine structure shown particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3 are easily disassembled and reassembled. Element 63 may be a stationary ring supported by a plurality of bars or rods 64 on the machine frame in any suitable manner. Carrier 6 and its cam rings 60 and 61, carrier 2 and its cam rings 20 and 21, and carrier 62 for cam segments 4 may be divided into segments for easy removal of one or more segments. Carriers 6 and 62 can be connected to carrier ring 63 by machine screws 65. FIG. 3 shows a segment of carrier 62 having bores 66 therethrough on opposite sides of cam slides 43, which bores may receive assembly screws 65. The retracting lever guide members 45 may be secured to carrier 62 by screws engageable in bores 67.

To replace a lever 40, corresponding segments of carriers 2 and 62 can be removed to expose such lever, the adjacent partitions 13 and the lever pivot 41, which also is divided in segments. Partitions 13 can be readily replaced by providing a retaining member 14 having a lap joint connection with the bottom of the partition 13 and including-a portion which can be secured to needle cylinder 1 by screws 14'. Similarly, sinker plate bed 38 can carry retainers 15 secured to the bed by screws 15, which retainers have tongues receivable in cooperating grooves of partition extensions 18. Such an arrangement permits removal of selected partitions l3, 18 without requiring disassembling all or a substantial number of interconnected parts. Removal of retainers 14 and 15 for a particular'partition 13, 18 permits the partition to be slid downward toward the bottom of the needle cylinder and removed, and a new partition slid into its place.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, levers 40 and needles 11 are guided between partitions 13 in common radial planes, while the sinker plates 30 must be offset for reciprocation between adjacent needles. Consequently, either the lever arm end 42 must have an offset portion to enable it to engage ear 37 of the sinker plate, or, as shown in FIG. 2, the ears 31 and 37 of the sinker plates 30 could be provided on an auxiliary side plate 30' bonded or fastened to the inner end of the sinker plate to provide at least an offset ear 37 engageable with arm end 42.

It is in practice possible to arrange the sinker plate retracting lever 40 and respective cam segments 4 on the same side as the carrier 6 with its cam rings 60 and 61, so that both ears 31 and 37 may be provided on the same side or 91 of the sinker plate 30. An even better arrangement would be to provide the extension and retraction cars 31 and 37 on opposite sides 90 and 91 of the sinker plate 30. One ear 31 or 37 is therefore provided on the upper side 90 of the sinker plate 30 and one ear 37 or 31 is arranged on the lower side 91 of the sinker plate 30. While it is preferred that lever 40 have two arms so that the cam 4 and retracting ear 37 can be located on the same side of the lever pivot 41 on the lever side opposite needles 11, the lever pivot could be located at one end of the lever. In this case, cam 4 and cam-engaging surface 52 would have to be located on the opposite lever side between'the layer 40 and the needle cylinder 1. Such an arrangement would reduce the accessibility of the cam and would require more complex construction for its pile depth-adjusting mechanism. Such an arrangement would also require both sinker plates 30 and retracting levers 40 to be of substantially greater length.

The present invention can be readily adapted to flatknitting machines in which the sinker plate beds are disposed parallel to the direction of needle reciprocation. The subject matter of the invention may also be applied to circular knitting machines with a stationary needle cylinder. in both cases, the carriers 2, 6 and 62 for cams 20, 21; 60, 61; and 4, respectively, would be moved relative to the stationary needle carrier, sinker plate bed and retracting arm pivot carrier.

We claim:

1. A knitting machine for producing mesh fabric having interlaced pile material including a needle carrier, needles reciprocable relative to the needle carrier, and sinker plates linearly reciprocable in a direction substantially transversely of the direction of needle reciprocation, comprising a sinker-retracting ear on each of the sinker plates, sinker-retracting means engageable with said sinker-retracting ear, a sinker-extending ear on each of the sinker plates, and sinker-extending cam means, the sinker-retracting means including a cam surface spaced from said sinker-retracting ear, and a pivoted sinker-retracting lever spanning between such cam surface and said sinker-retracting ear.

2. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker-retracting cam means cam surface is adjustable in a direction parallel to the direction of sinker plate reciprocation.

3. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, including a castoff plane through the sinker plates, in which the sinker-retracting lever and the needle carrier are located at the same side of the castoff plane.

4. The knitting machine defined in claim 3, and lateral guideways on opposite sides of the sinkerretracting lever, said guideways having lengths at least as great as the chordal extent of the maximum are described by the pivoted lever.

5. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which said sinker plate includes opposite substantially parallel edges, a tongue extending from one such edge, reciprocable between adjacent needles, and a hook on the other sinker plate edge being disposed at the back of an adjacent needle in the maximum sinker plate extended position and opening toward said needle.

6. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker plate includes opposite substantially parallel edges, the sinker-retracting ear projects from one sinker plate edge and the sinker-extending ear projects from the opposite sinker plate edge.

7. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker-retracting ear is laterally offset from its sinker plate toward an adjacent sinker plate.

8. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker-retracting lever is an elongated member having opposite ends and having its pivot spaced from said ends, such lever including a sinker-retracting earengaging surface on one lever side adjacent to one lever end, and a cam-engaging surface on the same lever side adjacent to the opposite lever end.

@7 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No- 3.s37.1s4 3fim2smhet.2.4., J.914

Inventor(s) w It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Title page, section 75, change "Hans Joachim" to --Hansj oachimsection 56, change "1,828,222" to -l,828,220- section 56, change "Apprul" to --Apprich-- Column 8, line 14, cancel "said" and insert --each-- Signed and sealed this 22nd day of April 1975.

(SEAL) Attest C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C MASON Commissioner of Patents Attest'ing Officer and Trademarks 

1. A knitting machine for producing mesh fabric having interlaced pile material including a needle carrier, needles reciprocable relative to the needle carrier, and sinker plates linearly reciprocable in a direction substantially transversely of the direction of needle reciprocation, comprising a sinkerretracting ear on each of the sinker plates, sinker-retracting means engageable with said sinker-reTracting ear, a sinkerextending ear on each of the sinker plates, and sinker-extending cam means, the sinker-retracting means including a cam surface spaced from said sinker-retracting ear, and a pivoted sinkerretracting lever spanning between such cam surface and said sinker-retracting ear.
 2. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker-retracting cam means cam surface is adjustable in a direction parallel to the direction of sinker plate reciprocation.
 3. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, including a castoff plane through the sinker plates, in which the sinker-retracting lever and the needle carrier are located at the same side of the castoff plane.
 4. The knitting machine defined in claim 3, and lateral guideways on opposite sides of the sinker-retracting lever, said guideways having lengths at least as great as the chordal extent of the maximum arc described by the pivoted lever.
 5. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which said sinker plate includes opposite substantially parallel edges, a tongue extending from one such edge, reciprocable between adjacent needles, and a hook on the other sinker plate edge being disposed at the back of an adjacent needle in the maximum sinker plate extended position and opening toward said needle.
 6. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker plate includes opposite substantially parallel edges, the sinker-retracting ear projects from one sinker plate edge and the sinker-extending ear projects from the opposite sinker plate edge.
 7. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker-retracting ear is laterally offset from its sinker plate toward an adjacent sinker plate.
 8. The knitting machine defined in claim 1, in which the sinker-retracting lever is an elongated member having opposite ends and having its pivot spaced from said ends, such lever including a sinker-retracting ear-engaging surface on one lever side adjacent to one lever end, and a cam-engaging surface on the same lever side adjacent to the opposite lever end. 